


It's Dark Outside

by BrightEyesIllusionist



Series: 100 Themes Challenge [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: 100 Themes Challenge, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gen, Thestrals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 20:58:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15348588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightEyesIllusionist/pseuds/BrightEyesIllusionist
Summary: Over the summer Tony had been kidnapped and tortured, coming back to school now seems surreal, and there's something different about the carriages that take the students up to the castle...





	It's Dark Outside

Tony had known about the thestrals pulling the carriages at Hogwarts, but he'd never seen them until he came back from his.... enforced vacation.... before his third year.

They looked like horses, kind of? If horses were so malnourished they looked like black leather covered skeletons with giant bat wings. They were kind of freaky.

It really didn't help his mood.

The carriage ride back up to the old castle last year had been much less, quiet, Tony thought. 

He wasn't alone in the carriage, either. Rhodey sat next to him, but he hadn't really left his side since Tony had been rescued (rescued himself), and Loki sat across from them. Loki had jumped into their carriage right before it had started moving apparently to get away from Thor.

Tony sighed and leaned his head against the covered window.

It was dark outside. He could hear the hoof beats of the thestrals and every so often one of them would snuffle softly.

They were such weird creatures. Seriously, what kind of animal can only be seen after you've seen death.

Freaking depressing, that's what it was.

He reached up to touch the Arc-reactor hidden under his robes. The bastardization of magic and technology was the only thing keeping him alive right now. It was unfortunate that Yinsen hadn't been a wizard. Then maybe.... 

Well, it did no good to dwell on maybes now anyway.

When the carriages finally came to a stop, Tony walked around to the front of it to look at the thestrals again. They kind of had a grotesque beauty to them, really. He reached up to pat one on it's head and it bent down a little so it could reach more easily.

“You're not so bad, then huh?” He said quietly. “A little misunderstood, and a little strange looking but good underneath.” He sighed and leaned his head forward until his forehead was touching the thestral's shoulder. “Do you think I could be that? Good underneath everything?”

He stood there for another second before Rhodey finally called him away.

“Got to go then, take care ok?” He left the thestral with a final pat and started walking away. Maybe it was just his perception, but the night seemed a little less dark. It might not be such a bad year after all.  
He stood there for another second before Rhodey finally called him away.

“Got to go then, take care ok?” He left the Thestral with a final pat and started walking away. Maybe it was just his perception, but the night seemed a little less dark. It might not be such a bad year after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4 for my 100 themes challenge. The theme for today was "Dark".


End file.
